The present invention relates to replaceable brush seal elements for turbines, particularly industrial gas turbines.
A wide variety of brush seals are known in the art. Such brush seals are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,066,024 to Reisinger et al.; 6,168,162 to Reluzco et al.; 5,704,760 to Bouchard et al.; 5,630,590 to Bouchard et al.; and 6,318,728 to Addis et al.
Current industrial gas turbines utilize brush seal configurations with substantial cross sections. Such brush seal configurations are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. These configurations include an integral back plate and flange structure 10, a side plate 12, and a brush pack 14 positioned between the structure 10 and the side plate 12. The brush pack typically comprises a series of bristles and typically runs 0.035 to 0.100 inches (0.0889 to 0.254 cm.) in axial width. The use of this type of configuration adds to the complexity and cost of the brush seals purchased by operators of these turbines. When the brush seal needs to be replaced, the whole element must be discarded and replaced with a new element. Thus, operators are looking for a brush seal design which is less expensive to replace than current offerings.